Reviews lean positive on Pixel Buds, Google's answer to Apple's AirPods
Some of the first major reviews of Google's Pixel Buds have emerged, mostly espousing a favorable opinion of the AirPods competitors, albeit with some tough criticisms.
The harshest review may belong to Gizmodo, which complained about things like the charging case, a troublesome pairing process, and the earbuds' real-time translation feature, which requires a Pixel phone that must also be held in front of the person a user is talking to. Likewise, talking to Google Assistant requires a phone with Android Marshmallow (6.0) or higher, and the buds can only be connected to Android or iOS devices, not laptops or desktops.
Audio quality was said to be equivalent to Apple's wired EarPods -- crisp, but without much bass. Touch-sensitive controls on the right earbud were said to be too easy to trigger accidentally.
"In a shocking plot twist, the Apple [AirPods] earbuds are more versatile than the Google earbuds and actually work with Android devices as well as laptops and other Bluetooth-enabled gadgets," the site commented.
VentureBeat was significantly more positive, calling them an "a pretty powerful answer to AirPods, and a first move toward an AI assistant in your ear." The site pointed to Assistant's ability to do everything from walking directions to emergency help or ordering a pizza.
Like Gizmodo, Forbes had trouble with pairing, but said the Pixel Buds "sound great," "offer some very cool features," and let people listen to music without taking their phone out of their pocket.
Axios suggested that the Pixel Buds are good for people who have a Pixel phone and/or travel internationally, but should be skipped by people who already have nice wireless headphones or who want the smallest and most comfortable pair.
"Apple's AirPods are more elegant as well as smaller and more comfortable," the site said.
The harshest review may belong to Gizmodo, which complained about things like the charging case, a troublesome pairing process, and the earbuds' real-time translation feature, which requires a Pixel phone that must also be held in front of the person a user is talking to. Likewise, talking to Google Assistant requires a phone with Android Marshmallow (6.0) or higher, and the buds can only be connected to Android or iOS devices, not laptops or desktops.
Audio quality was said to be equivalent to Apple's wired EarPods -- crisp, but without much bass. Touch-sensitive controls on the right earbud were said to be too easy to trigger accidentally.
"In a shocking plot twist, the Apple [AirPods] earbuds are more versatile than the Google earbuds and actually work with Android devices as well as laptops and other Bluetooth-enabled gadgets," the site commented.
VentureBeat was significantly more positive, calling them an "a pretty powerful answer to AirPods, and a first move toward an AI assistant in your ear." The site pointed to Assistant's ability to do everything from walking directions to emergency help or ordering a pizza.
Like Gizmodo, Forbes had trouble with pairing, but said the Pixel Buds "sound great," "offer some very cool features," and let people listen to music without taking their phone out of their pocket.
Axios suggested that the Pixel Buds are good for people who have a Pixel phone and/or travel internationally, but should be skipped by people who already have nice wireless headphones or who want the smallest and most comfortable pair.
"Apple's AirPods are more elegant as well as smaller and more comfortable," the site said.
Comments
apple must be perfect, google good enough.
I can't get past the appearance of these Google things - they look like something I'd expect to see by the cash register at a convenience store next to cigarette rolling papers, condoms, and diet pills. I can smell the Pine-Sol, cigarette smoke, and stale friend chicken grease already!
Er, how are they saying it's first when AirPods also relay assistant functionality to your ear?
With how good AirPods are already, imagine how great the 2nd version would be.
Well apple is building a new case for the AirPods that will work the powermat that's coming out next year so there's that. Since apple is using the Qi standard then, in theory, the new AirPod case should work with every Qi wireless charging device.
What??
That doesn’t sound right.
Not sure. Gonna wait for the GoogleGuy explanation.
This is The best Bluetooth I have ever experienced, and that’s with BeatsX, the non AirPods version.
I still look at my older Awei BT headphones,and think why I had to restart the thing 3 to 4 times just to work properly and had random dropouts.
The W1’s efficiency is what allowed Apple to get such awesome battery life (not enough for me,I NEED 8 hr)in such a small product. If the W3 gives AirPods 8-10 hr battery life ,I will definitely get that.
I guess if you are one of the 8 people with a Pixel phone these might be good for you.
Not being able to play back music in Spotify (because Apple blocks Spotify - something they should be sued for) and not being able to get a decent, spoken result for a search query are just a few examples why Siri performs so badly, which then obviously extends to their wireless buds and the soon to be released HomePod speakers.